Tea and Milk

Question by Sherpa
Posted on August 12, 2008

I have read that green tea and herbal teas should not be drunk with milk as the proteins in milk diminish the healthy nutrients in teas. Does the same hold true for soy milk like “silk”?

Amy's Answer

Amy Bragagnini, MS, RD, CSO, is a registered dietitian and…Read Full Bio

It has been shown that adding milk to tea may block the cardiovascular benefit of tea. A study published in European Heart Journal showed that black tea can help improve the ability of arteries to expand and relax, but the addition of milk may decrease this effect. Scientists suggest that it is a protein in the milk (specifically protein called casein) that is to blame for this reduced effect.

Many people prefer drinking soy milk over regular milk. Soy milk is nutritionally close to cow’s milk (but may need to be enriched with nutrients like vitamin B12). Soy milk is naturally lactose free and contains more fiber than cow’s milk. It does contain protein, but the type of protein is different than cow’s milk. Soy milk does not contain casein. So, adding soy milk instead of regular milk would likely allow the tea to still have the same beneficial cardiovascular effect, although further studies may need to be completed to obtain more information.